This arose over the weekend when a friend of mine sang a version of Leadbelly's "Irene" which I have always loathed. I like the Leadbelly version with its straight ahead, confrontational lyric. For me the others are all watered down and prissy - "I see you in my dreams" instead of the euphemism free "I get you in my dreams". My mother, who I always thought had appalling taste, never thought that there was any difference between prettiness and beauty. I have never believed that was necessarily true - and I'll take the stark, ugly beauty of Leadbelly any time over those sanitised (for me emotionally dishonest) versions of his songs. I'll always choose the version which I think sounds honest and unadorned.